SPAIN
Spanish performer dies of cancer at 61
MADRID — The ashes of Rocío Durcal, a Spanish singer and actress who died Saturday at her home in Madrid, will be spread in Spain, Mexico and the United States. She was 61.
Durcal, whose real name was Maria de los Angeles de las Heras Ortiz, died of cancer, Spanish National Radio reported, citing relatives. A star since childhood, Durcal acted in many films but was also famous for her singing, particularly Mexican "rancheras."
Durcal was diagnosed with cancer in 2001.
She made her first trip to Mexico when she was 17 and has been popular there and throughout Latin America, as well as Spain, ever since.
During her career she performed with stars such as Julio Iglesias, Joan Manuel Serrat, Luis Miguel, Ricky Martin, Alejandro Sánz and Juan Gabriel.
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Philippines
Extortion suspected in blast that killed 9
MANILA — A powerful explosion in a grocery store on a volatile island in the southern Philippines killed nine people on Monday, and police suspected an extortion attempt.
The Jolo provincial police chief, Ahirun Ajirim, said an extortion letter was found at a nearby drugstore shortly before a bomb ripped through the building in Jolo, killing nine and wounding 20.
Ajirim said he suspected al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf rebels were involved in the bombing. He said the letter included two cell phone numbers, apparently to be used to contact the extortionists.
Nepal
Guerrillas release four Polish captives
KATMANDU — Four Polish trekkers held captive by communist rebels while on an expedition near Mount Everest have been freed by the guerrillas and are safe, a Nepalese mountaineering official said Monday.
Ang Tshering, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said the hikers argued with the rebels after they demanded a fee to enter the region. The rebels commonly collect money from tourists but have a policy not to harm them.
It was not clear how long the trekkers were held.
india
Order for divorce follows talk in sleep
NEW DELHI — A Muslim couple in India have been told by local Islamic leaders they must separate after the husband "divorced" his wife in his sleep, the Press Trust of India reported.
Sohela Ansari told friends that her husband Aftab had uttered the word "talaq," or divorce, three times in his sleep, according to the report published in newspapers Monday.
When local Islamic leaders heard about it, they said Aftab's words constituted a divorce under an Islamic procedure known as "triple talaq."
The couple, who have been married for 11 years and have three children, were told they had to split.
The couple, who live in the eastern state of West Bengal, have refused to obey the order and the issue has been referred to a local family counseling center.
Brazil
Aiding rain forest
CURITIBA — Brazil announced plans to expand protection of the Amazon rain forest, and its president on Monday called on wealthy nations to do more to protect the environment.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva blamed industrialized nations for the "unsustainable patterns of production and consumption."
"It is unacceptable that poorer nations continue to suffer the main burden of environmental degradation," the Brazilian leader told Cabinet ministers from more than 90 countries. His remarks came at the opening of three days of high-level talks at the eighth biannual Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity, sponsored by the United Nations.
The talks are a major test to the Cabinet ministers' commitment to a 1992 treaty. A U.N. report released at the conference said species were being lost at the fastest rate since the disappearance of dinosaurs — or as much as 1,000 times faster than the natural rate of extinction.
